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Schools are ‘revolutionising energy’

SCHOOLS across Oxfordshire are getting ready to be switched on to green energy after getting solar panels installed over the summer holidays.

The 2014 Low Carbon Hub solar schools scheme will see nearly 3,000 solar panels installed at 17 primary and secondary schools across the county this year.

The schools getting panels ready for the new term are Oxford’s Cheney School and Larkrise Primary, Edward Feild Primary in Kidlington, Banbury Academy, Charlbury Primary and The Warriner School at Bloxham, where installation was completed on Friday.

Earlier this year Oxford City Council agreed to loan £2.3m to the Low Carbon Hub, a social enterprise which works to provide green energy schemes, to help it roll out the solar panel scheme across the county.

The council plans to make its money back from a public share offer which will be launched in September.

Board member for a cleaner greener Oxford, John Tanner said: “Schools and young people are a great place to start when saving energy and tackling climate change. As a governor of Larkrise Primary, I’m especially pleased to see that school on the list.”

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David Nimmo Smith, Oxfordshire County Council cabinet member for the environment, said: “I know that many schools have been keen to revolutionise their energy supplies by installing the latest technology, and their dreams are becoming reality.”

Hub chief executive Barbara Hammond said: “The scheme has proved to be very popular with schools as they don’t need to raise the finance – the panels are owned by the wider community of Oxfordshire.

“It also provides the schools with clean, green electricity and is a great educational tool.”

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